So, this fish tank bug has really bitten the two of us because on Saturday morning Chantelle and I once again found ourselves standing in the middle of our local pet store, ordering the shop assistants about.
Our existing gold fish have taken to the new tank like a fanboy to a comic book convention and are as happy as can be – which makes their mommy as happy as a hamster in a bundle of sawdust shavings which in turn makes their daddy happy because he doesn’t have to keep needlessly flushing them down the toilet!
It would seem now that we have a tank which basically does everything for us it is becoming increasingly difficult for us to screw things up like we (perhaps) did with our now deceased ‘vase’ tank, meaning that for a change the water actually looks clear and our plants look happy, so happy in fact that they are even sprouting new leaves! Of course, with this first test phase now complete, it was time to move to step two and increase our brood just a little.
Now Chantelle already had her heart set on the types of fish that she wanted to get from the store, so it was with much sadness that she learned that all those fish that she had her eye on are in fact off limits to us, thanks to the fact that we are running a cold water tank. Nevertheless, the assistant was more than helpful and we eventually left the premises clutching two black bug-eyed goldfish variants, two black and orange panda-something-or-other fish, three male and two female guppies, two sucker fish and one shrub-like aquatic plant. Talk about a successful fishing trip!
Back home we followed the whole ‘floating’ acclimatization process and slowly introduced our new additions into the fold, standing back as the frenzied newcomers set about startling the old boys and just kicking up a fuss in general. The smaller guppies and sucker fish were swimming for their lives as the bigger fish targeted them for tasting practice, but thankfully the addition of some food soon settled things down and I am now happy to report that the entire brood seems to now be getting along just fine… and all seem to still have their full set of fins attached.
On the environmental aesthetics side of things, the new plant is also doing the trick, making our previously rather bare tank look a little more homely, but it was still a little bare… until Sunday evening that is!
Thank you Karl and Pat for the superb birthday gift that you got for me – my very own sunken ship! As you can see below, it fits in just right and with that, our ocean floor is now complete! :)
Yup, our own perfect little wreckage for exploration and hiding in – without the oil spill that usually accompanies it!
Update: Unfortunately one of the new black bug-eyed fishies has now bitten the dust. It would seem that this little fellow just couldn’t cope with the new environment. The rest of his family appear to be doing just fine though! :)
Even Newer Update: Just seen that one of the guppies has now bought the farm. Though this one looks like it could have died thanks to one of the larger fish attacking it :(